Speakers

We are thrilled to welcome Legendary NFL head coach Mike Shanahan as the keynote speaker for LIV CONNECT 2018.

Mike Shanahan

Mike Shanahan is one of the most accomplished head coaches in the history of the National Football League. Shanahan has unparalleled success guiding and shaping quarterbacks, building powerhouse offenses, and leading both professional and collegiate teams to the playoffs and championships. LIV CONNECT attendees will glean advice from Shanahan on key topics – winning, leadership, and peak performance in all aspects of life.

Biography:

Mike Shanahan, best known for his successful career with the Denver Broncos from 1995 to 2008, led the team to consecutive Super Bowl victories in XXXII (1997) and XXXIII (1998). During his fourteen seasons with the Broncos, Shanahan guided the franchise to two Super Bowl victories, three conference championship game appearances, seven postseason berths and nine winning seasons. Shanahan led the Broncos to 138 regular-season victories during his tenure. The three-time Super Bowl winner is one of the 13 head coaches in league history to guide a club to a pair of Super Bowl victories and one of only six to accomplish the feat in consecutive years.

Shanahan’s 177 combined regular season and postseason wins in his NFL head-coaching career are the 11th most in NFL history. During his NFL coaching career, Shanahan has been a part of teams that have played in 10 AFC or NFC Championship Games. Shanahan has coached in six Super Bowls – five with Denver and Super Bowl XXIX with San Francisco. Shanahan’s head coaching career spanned a total of 20 seasons and included stints with the Los Angeles Raiders and Washington Redskins. His early career began as receivers coach and offensive coach for the Denver Broncos under Dan Reeve’s in the 1980’s. In his nine seasons coaching at the collegiate level, Shanahan’s teams participated in eight bowl games and won two national championships (Oklahoma – 1975 and Eastern Illinois – 1978).

Liz Bentley

CEO – Liz Bentley Associates

Liz Bentley is the founder and CEO of Liz Bentley Associates, a consulting firm specializing in leadership development programs, which include a specific model for real estate. Liz is a nationally recognized keynote speaker and executive coach to owners, managers and agents across the country.

Having worked with hundreds of clients, Liz understands this fundamental truth: you can’t change people but you can help them evolve into a better version of themselves. To help unlock barriers, Liz has developed powerful models that are built upon the most current research on how people perform best. She also has a unique appreciation of mindset and its power to transform behavior that’s based on her lifetime of experience in competitive sports.

Through this groundbreaking work, Liz has become a thought leader in the industry. She delivers keynotes to conferences and companies nationwide, including Sotheby’s International Realty Global Networking Event, Microsoft, SHRM and IBM. Her ability to identify trends in human behavior also makes her a sought after expert in the media. Her advice has been featured in books, podcasts, business magazines and newspapers, including Fast Company , The Washington Post , and Business News Daily along with her career advice column in Marie Claire.

Liz received her coach training from the New York University Certificate in Organizational and Executive Coaching program, and the David Rock Results Coaching System. She received her BA in Psychology from the University of Virginia. Prior to coaching, Liz worked in advertising sales for Condé Nast Publications and CBS Network. She has also been a competitive athlete her whole life. She played Division I Soccer and Lacrosse at the University of Virginia. She taught skiing at Aspen Highlands in Aspen Colorado, has run the NYC Marathon twice, and currently plays competitive platform tennis, tennis and ice hockey. She lives with her husband and 3 children in Cold Spring Harbor, NY.

Larry Kendall

Author of Ninja Selling

Larry is the author of Ninja Selling, a sales training system with over 60,000 graduates in the US, Canada, and Spain. He has practiced real estate in Colorado for 45 years and taught for 10 years in the real estate program at the Colorado State University College of Business. Larry is 2006 Colorado Realtor of the Year.

His book, Ninja Selling, was released in January of last year and became both an Amazon best seller and the #1 New Release in its first week. Recently, it received the Axiom Business Book Awards Gold Medal as the best new sales book for 2018.

Larry’s mission is to help people bring out the best in themselves and their organizations.

Kevin Thompson

CMO – Sotheby’s International Realty

Kevin D. Thompson serves as Chief Marketing Officer for Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing and implementing all marketing, interactive, digital, advertising, and public relations initiatives for the Sotheby’s International Realty® brand.

With an extensive background working with globally recognized luxury brands, Thompson’s focus and passion are centered on creating an unparalleled customer experience through exceptional marketing and brand management. His unique perspective contributes to innovative ideas for developing systems and campaigns that complement the Sotheby’s International Realty brand vision.

Prior to joining Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC, Thompson was vice president of marketing and customer experience for Simon Property Group, a global leader in retail real estate ownership, management and development. He has also held senior positions within globally recognized brands, most recently at Barney’s New York and Gucci. Thompson’s well-rounded executive leadership experience spans across an array of specialties including marketing, management, project development, operations, training, and sales forecasting, in a variety of industries, such as, luxury fashion, real estate and public institutions.

An active speaker at events, Thompson has delivered keynote addresses, hosted executive roundtable discussions and has been asked to lead discussions at national and international marketing conferences on a variety of topics; his core focus being the evolution of brands, their role in influencing consumer behavior and the power of brands to change the world for the better.

Thompson is a Co-founder of Ruiru Rising, a not-for-profit organization that funds higher education programs for at-risk youth in rural Kenya. A native of Canada, Thompson is a graduate of the University of Guelph in Ontario and holds a graduate degree from Simon Fraser University. He currently resides in New York State.

Julie Leonhardt LaTorre

COO – Sotheby’s International Realty

Julie Leonhardt LaTorre serves as Chief Operating Officer for Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the global servicing and operations functions for the Sotheby’s International Realty® brand.

With an extensive background, working across various sectors of the real estate industry, LaTorre has gleaned an invaluable global business acumen. She has experience as a transactional attorney, as well as having worked closely with auction houses and luxury brands, and has a keen understanding of an affiliate-based business model. LaTorre’s focus for the Sotheby’s International Realty brand is to drive strategic growth globally, expand top-notch services initiatives, and develop business-changing tools for affiliates to better serve their clientele.

Prior to joining Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC, LaTorre was senior vice president of affiliate services and head of operations, EMERIA region, for Christie’s International Real Estate. She has also held positions as a commercial real estate finance attorney at two leading Wall Street firms: Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP and Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP. Before earning her law degree, LaTorre worked in education serving as a high school teacher in the Greater Los Angeles Area and then managing the Medicaid Choice Education Project for the State of New York.

While at Cadwalader, LaTorre served as co-founder and chair of the Women’s Leadership Initiative. She is an active supporter of Something New, formerly known as the Freedom Foundation, a non-profit organization in Selma, Alabama that empowers young people to find their voice and expand their opportunities by providing extracurricular activities and mentoring, as well as providing a sense of community. LaTorre was also a funder of the documentary film I WILL DANCE.

Along with her many career accomplishments, LaTorre is a graduate of Westmont College, holds a Juris Doctor degree from Fordham University Law School, and is fluent in Spanish.

Carol Elkins

Senior VP, Jewlery – Sotheby’s Auction House

Carol Elkins has over 32 years of experience in the Jewelry department at Sotheby’s. Her responsibilities include organizing, curating and promoting the New York jewelry sales and meeting with clients to provide auction estimates and estate and fair market appraisals. In addition to conducting educational seminars on various aspects of evaluating jewelry, Ms. Elkins is a lecturer at jewelry conferences. She is regarded by dealers and collectors as a leading specialist in antique and period jewelry.

Ms. Elkins served as President of The American Society of Jewelry Historians, and is also a member of the Gemological Institute of America Alumnae Association. She has contributed to mthe Gemological Institute of America’s quarterly journal, Gems & Gemology, and has written several articles on period jewelry styles for Sotheby’s at Auction magazine. A graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a degree in Art History and Classical Civilization, she is also a Graduate Gemologist of the Gemological Institute of America, and is certified by U.S.P.A.P.